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Buncombe County outlines HMGP buyout process and master-plan updates after Hurricane Helene
Summary
Parks director said more than 200 HMGP buyout applications exist, buyout approvals may take 12–24 months, and the department has restarted its master plan and a two-year business plan tied to recovery and resilience.
Allison Daines, director of Buncombe County Parks and Recreation, told advisory board members the department is developing a two-year business plan and revising its systemwide master plan to reflect damage and shifting community priorities after Hurricane Helene.
Daines said the county and its Strategy and Innovation team are aligning department business goals with the countywide recovery and preparedness plans. One stated goal is to "lead the restoration redesign and construction of hurricane-impacted parks to ensure updated infrastructure designed for long-term resiliency and improved public access."
On buyouts under FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Daines said the county has recorded more than 200 applications. "Once those are approved ... the properties get turned over," she said, adding the FEMA approval and transfer process can take roughly 12 to 24 months.
Daines clarified that HMGP (buyout) properties come to municipalities first for right of first refusal; properties outside municipalities would be handled by the county. She cautioned that HMGP restrictions limit the use of those parcels—hardscapes such as paved greenways are generally not allowed, though permeable or unpaved connections and agricultural uses are possible.
"You could not have a paved greenway on them. You could have an unpaved ... permeable surface," Daines said. She noted the county is discussing reuse guidelines and community partnerships (for example, licensing a county buyout parcel on Orchard Street to Asheville GreenWorks for in-ground orchards).
Daines also said the department restarted its master plan community outreach to account for changed priorities and the post-storm landscape; a brief public survey will remain open through a specified Friday in September so planners can fold updated public input into the master plan.
Ending: County staff said they will integrate HMGP property policy guidance into master-plan work and return to the advisory board with opportunities for public engagement and specific reuse guidelines as buyout approvals and property lists become available.
